Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica 2020, Vol. XXIX, N°2, 393-399
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.254 393
A
NALYSIS OF
A
RT
P
SYCHOLOGY AND
P
REFERENCE
B
ASED ON
V
ISUAL
C
OMMUNICATION
S
KILLS
Gaofei Wu
Abstract
The psychological response of an audience to a work of art depends on the visual communication skills of the creator and the psychological preference of the audience. This paper explores the needs and motivations of art psychology, and then investigates the cognitive process of the audience of visual communication design. Finally, the author analyzed the psychology of the audience about visual communication skills, and the impact of psychological preference on these skills. The results show that visual communication is the most important way for humans to exchange information, cognition is the premise of psychological preference, and vision is the driving force of perception; visual communication refers to the interaction between the designer, the work of art and the audience; on the execution level, the visual communication skills that convey information include strategy design, mind consideration and visualization; positive pictures are more in line with the psychological preference of the audience, and quick flashing has an outstanding visual impact to the audience. The research results help to make works of art on visual communication consistent with the psychological preference of the audience.
Key words: Visual Communication Skills, Psychological Preferences, Cognition, Works of Art. Received: 12-02-19 | Accepted: 27-08-19
INTRODUCTION
Visual communication design skills are a form of artistic expression, and the process of its conception and creation is inseparable from the audiences (Hastings, 2006). In the commercial field, visual communication skills are an important element of consumption activities. Any product needs to be carefully designed for artistic communication, and various visual means will be used to clearly display the product (Gavrilov, Maev, & Almond, 2014). Visual communication skills are a profession focusing on practice and operation. It covers a wide range of disciplines, including human psychology, social sciences, and cultural economics. Furthermore, with the increasing progress of science and technology and the multi-field
School of design, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China.
E-Mail: [email protected]
performance, visual communication skills become more diverse (Desnica & Schreiner, 2006). Visual communication skills have evolved from the design of various elements in the original two-dimensional space to that in three-dimensional space. With the improvement of people’s visual psychology, visual communication has gone beyond font design, layout, illustrations and photography. It can express abstract shape, body, color and idea to the fullest. (Beddoe, Sneddon, & Denton, 2018, Tang & Isacsson, 2008).
People's requirements for aesthetics are getting higher and higher, and any visual communication skills demonstrated can prove the order, rhythm, and complexity of things that people convey (Lunney, Ban, Duic et al., 2016). Starting from the roots of psychology, human thinking and preferences are controlled by the brain. There is a device or mechanism in the human brain that can explain complex graphics. In a visual range that can be observed
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repeatedly, people have to use their eyes and brain to combine multiple, chaotic and heterogeneous units into a whole. In this process, people will analyze and judge according to their psychological preferences (Grace, 2018). In real life, people have desires, and they hope the art they communicate can satisfy everyone’s preferences. But in fact, it is impossible. People’s preferences for visual communication art design are different, which also determines that different visual communication skills will meet the psychological preferences of different people. In general, people’s needs for visual communication design come down to psychological preferences, which are mainly used for emotional exchange, aesthetic taste, cultivating sentiment and entertainment, etc. (Coleman & Mctigue, 2013; O'Neil, A., Sanna, Redlich et al., 2012). Based on the art of visual communication, this article discusses the psychological analysis displayed in visual communication skills and explores the impact of psychological preferences on visual communication skills. This study provides a theoretical basis for the communication of visual communication art design that meets people’s psychological preferences.
NEEDS AND MOTIVATIONS OF ART
PSYCHOLOGY
In order to meet people’s needs, a variety of materials and products are designed and produced. Functional requirements, psychological preferences, quality trust and other factors all affect people’s motivations of choice (Trautmann, Lackschewitz, & Kröner-Herwig, 2006). In real life, people's psychological needs or psychological preferences are divided into three different levels: materiality, sociality and personality. When a certain need of a person is met, he/she will seek higher psychological needs. As for art, an important factor in transforming the needs of art psychology into motivations is psychological preferences (Palmer, Schloss, & Sammartino, 2013). Visual communication skills express the beauty of visual arts, and once they meet people’s psychological preferences, they will lead people to instinctively generate desires (Kemp, Rutter, Dewey et al., 2011). Figure 1 shows the theory of the individual demand level. The order of needs from low to high is physiological needs, safety needs, social needs,
respect needs, knowledge needs, aesthetic needs, and self-realization needs.
Visual communication is good at using details in life to give expressions. All artworks are created and designed to reflect something to the audiences. Whether the designer’s work can approach the inner world of everyone depends on the psychological needs or motivations of the audiences (Simon-Liedtke & Farup, 2015). Under certain conditions, everyone in life will become the designer of art. For example, one can match his/her clothes, decorate the house, or display items, etc. The visual communication skills applied in this process are mainly to meet their own needs.
Figure 1
.
Theory of individual demand level
Physiological needs Safety needs Social needs Respect needs Knowledge needs Aesthetic needs
Self fulfilling needs
T h eo ry o f i n d iv id u al d em an d le v el
RESEARCH ON AUDIENCE’S COGNITIVE
PROCESS OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN
Visual and cognition
Visual communication is the most important way for humans to communicate and receive information. The skills of visual communication have become an indispensable part of modern society, affecting people’s psychological aesthetics and preferences. Cognition is the premise of psychological preferences. Vision will lead people to perceive. When the audience focuses on a certain color or thing, psychological perception has become the dominant factor. For a piece of works of art, visual communication skills need to be attractive, cognitive, legible, persuasive and actionable. Attracting the audience's attention is the primary factor. Figure 2 shows the communication process of visual communication design information. The communication process is the interaction between the designer, the works of art and the audience. And visual communication is an important way of art communication. From the
ANALYSIS OF ART PSYCHOLOGY AND PREFERENCE BASED ON VISUAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS 395
Figure 2
.
Communication process of visual communication design information
Designer Design objects Functional information
Audience Psychological needs or preferences
Figure 3
.
The level contrast of art design and visual communication design skills
Artistic image and impression
Connotation and artistic conception
Artistic operation and utility, including function,
readability, usability and physical feeling, etc
Timeliness, readability and memorability of design
Appearance of art design, including visual, tactile and
auditory feelings
Copy expression and design visual effects, including text, composition, modeling
and color, etc Reflective
level
Behavior level
Visceral level
Advanced stage
Intermediate stage
Primary stage
Art design Visual communication design skills
Table 1.
Psychological expression of various colors
Colour Represent things Abstract emotion
White Paper towel, etc. Nature, purity and equality, etc. Red Apples and peppers, etc. Enthusiasm, boldness, dazzling, etc. Orange Oranges and flames, etc. Warm and vibrant, etc.
Yellow Tigers and honey, etc. Sweet, warm, fresh, etc. Green Grass and forest, etc. Nature, freshness, health and equality, etc.
Blue Sea and sky, etc. Melancholy, poise, reason, etc.
Black Hair, eyes, etc. Mystery, gloom, despair, death, etc. Violet Grapes and eggplant, etc. Mystery, nobility, dreams, etc.
perspective of cognitive psychology, the process of people receiving things is an advanced psychological process, and the entire cognitive process includes attention, memory, consciousness or unconsciousness. Vision and cognition are intertwined and inseparable as a whole. Due to different life experiences, customs, social psychology, etc., people’s cognition and visual focus differ greatly.
Audience’s aesthetic process in visual
communication design
Figure 3 shows the level contrast of art design and visual communication design skills. Both art design and visual communication design include three levels and stages. The visceral level corresponds to the primary stage, focusing on emotional effects which are mainly reflected in copy expression and design visual effects, including text, composition, modeling and color, etc.; the behavior level corresponds to the
intermediate stage, focusing on the function, readability, usability and physical feeling of art, which are mainly reflected in the timeliness, readability and memorability of the art design; and the reflective level corresponds to the advanced stage, focusing on the image of impression of the product, which are mainly reflected in the connotation and conception of the art design. Art design conveys visual design through colors, lines, shapes and composition. As the cerebral cortex reacts to the visual stimulation, audiences will express different feelings according different psychological preferences. Table 1 shows the psychological and emotional expressions of various colors. The abstract emotions expressed by different colors are different. In the process of cognition and aesthetics, the colors conveyed visually will subtly change the emotional state of people and affect people's behavior.
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ANALYSIS RESEARCH OF AUDIENCE’S
PSYCHOLOGY ABOUT VISUAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Psychological preferences of the audience at the sensuous level
Psychological preferences are manifested by the emotions at the sensuous level, the emotions stimulated by visual stimuli. The stimulating design that focuses on emotions often can get unexpected results. Art design can make people feel excited visually through bright colors, round shapes, and fashionable styles. The intensity of visual stimulation is relative. It is not that the stronger the stimulus is, the stronger psychological preference will be. Psychological preference has a threshold. Different people will get used to a certain level of stimulation. Vision and cognition are the most complex and important emotions of the audience. By expressing the art design through different techniques, the audience's visual organs and cognitive psychology will complete a series of tasks.
Figure 4
.
An image of exaggeration
Figure 5
.
People's emotional response to art
products
People Target Emotion
Art
Follow Stimulate
Assessment
Figure 4 is an image showing a sense of exaggeration. The exaggeration makes the original picture present a sense of joy and openness, and will stimulate the visual nerves of the audience. Figure 5 shows the people’s emotional response to art products. The production of emotions is caused by the collision between the art and the audience’s attention. The response process and result of the visual stimulus are regarded as the perception and physiological response to the stimulus, thereby the psychological preference for the art design is expressed. Table 2 is the theoretical framework of visual communication skills and psychological preferences. The purpose of visual communication skills is to convey information, and the executive level is to consider strategy, mind consideration and visualization; while the objective aspect of psychological preferences is the emotional design, and its executive level includes behavior design and instinctive design.
Table 2.
Theoretical framework of visual
communication skills and psychological
preferences
Design category
Visual communication
skills
Psychological preference Objective
aspect Methodology Reflective design Executive
level
Strategy Behavior design Mind consideration
/visualization
Instinctive design
Analysis of audience’s art psychology about visual communication skills
There are low-level and high-level artistic expressions in terms of psychology. Therefore, the psychological responses conveyed by the vision also include low-level and high-level emotions. Consumers' psychological preferences are "emotional" in the final analysis. With the help of artistic design and visual expression, the audiences are attracted from the bottom of their hearts. Figure 6 shows the audience's emotional experience in visual communication design. Those reflected in visual communication design include emotional magic, primitive beauty, originality beauty, nature beauty, humanity beauty, tradition beauty, style beauty and symbol beauty. Figure 7 is the psychological analysis of visual communication. Figure 7(a) shows the originality beauty, which uses a distinctive symbolic feature to express the real
ANALYSIS OF ART PSYCHOLOGY AND PREFERENCE BASED ON VISUAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS 397
state of known objects in a simplified form. It shows a certain psychological aesthetic value through the use of form beauty; figure 7(b) shows the nature beauty, which displays the coexistence of man and nature through artistic expression, and meets the psychological preferences of the audience. When designing the art of nature beauty, full consideration has been given to using aesthetic ideas as visual
communication skills. Figure 8 shows the relationship among psychological preference, imagination and art design. Psychological preference and art design affect each other, and the relationship between the two conflicts with the designer’s imagination.
Figure 6
.
Audience's emotional experience in visual communication design
Audience's emotional
experience in visual
communication design
Emotional magic -- human humor
Primitive beauty -- perceptual intuition
Originality beauty-- pure expression
Nature beauty -- the unity of man and nature
Humanity beauty -- imprint symbol
Tradition beauty -- contemplation
Style beauty - different voices
Symbol beauty -- a cultural journey
Figure 7
.
Psychological analysis of visual communication
(a) Originality beauty (b) Nature beauty
Figure 8
.
The expression relationship among psychological preference, imagination and art
design
Psychological
preference
Imagine
Art design
Imagine
Psychological
preference
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Figure 9
.
Psychological stimulation scores of
positive and negative visual art pictures
under different test methods
5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0
Method 2 Method 1
Average
sc
ore
Positive picture Negative picture
In order to test the relationship between visual communication skills and the psychological preferences of the audience, research is carried out by questionnaires, positive pictures (pictures of real emotional expressions) and negative pictures (low-level pictures) are selected for scoring. The score is based on the fluctuation of the psychological emotions. A higher score indicates that the presentation of the picture art is more in line with the psychological preferences of the audience. The selected participants were people of all ages between 25-55 years of age. Two methods were used. The first method was to flash the computer screen, and in the second method, the audiences will have no time limits to identify the photos. Figure 9 shows the psychological stimulation scores of positive and negative visual art pictures under different test methods. It can be clearly seen that positive pictures are more in line with the psychological preferences of the audiences, and the mode of presentation by quick flashing has a stronger visual impact to the audiences.
CONCLUSION
Based on the art of visual communication, this article discusses the psychological analysis displayed in visual communication skills and explores the impact of psychological preferences on visual communication skills. It comes to the following conclusions:
(1) Vision and cognition are intertwined and inseparable as a whole. The visual
communication design information is the interaction between the designer, the works of art and the audience. And visual communication is an important way of art communication in this process.
(2) Art design conveys visual design through colors, lines, shapes and composition. As the cerebral cortex reacts to the visual stimulation, audiences will express different feelings according different psychological preferences.
(3) Consumers' psychological preferences are "emotional" in the final analysis. With the help of artistic design and visual expression, the audiences are attracted from the bottom of their hearts. Positive pictures are more in line with the psychological preferences of the audiences, and the mode of presentation by quick flashing has a stronger visual impact to the audiences.
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